Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

 

Sinclair, James

 

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)

 

Born: 1913, Bu, Hoy, Orkney, N of Scotland. Died: 1968, Kirkwall, Orkney, N of Scotland.

 

career:

Graduated B.S. with honours in Botany at Edinburgh University in 1936. Subsequently he obtained Teachers Certificates and taught in schools in Orkney from 1939 to 1941. During the war he served in the R.A.F. in Britain and India, returning home at the end of 1945. In 1946 joined the staff of the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden Herbarium, and in 1948 appointed Curator of the Herbarium at Singapore.

He visited Kuching in Feb. 1949, at the request of the Sarawak Government, to examine and put into order the Herbarium of the Sarawak Museum.

Author of taxonomic papers with a special interest in Annonaceae.

He retired by Dec. 31, 1962, by compulsion of the Malayanisation scheme, but continued his work on a contract with the Singapore Government in an honorary capacity, till he left Singapore in May 1967.

 

Collecting localities:4

From May 1948 onwards in Singapore Island2.-1949. Borneo, Sarawak (Feb.-March): Santubong, Bukit Segu, Ban and Buso.1 Malaya: Maxwell’s Hill in Perak (Sept.) with Kiah bin Salleh.-1950. Johore: Kluang Forest Reserve, Gunong Lambak and Ma’okil Forest Reserve (Aug. 27-28); Penang (Oct.-Nov.). -1951. Penang (Oct.-Nov.).-1953. Johore: G. Pulai (March 26, Apr. 15, May 14, June 17); Trengganu: Kuala Trengganu and Dungun with Kiah bin Salleh (July); Selangor (Nov.): Batu Caves, Weld Hill, forest above Kepong (= Bukit Lagong), Klang Gates: Sungei Menyala Forest Reserve near Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan (one day in Nov.).-1954. G. Pulai in Johore (Apr. 8); P. Tinggi off the E. coast of Johore (May 16); Trengganu (Nov. 3-21), returning by way of Kota Bahru in Kelantan-1955. To Malacca and Cape Ricardo (Apr. 1-6, 53 nos), P. Pisang and P. Sauh (16-18), Kuala Trengganu (Sept. 4-25; coll. 226 nos incl. new species and records), and some minor excursions to Johore (Kota Tinggi, Sg. Tiram, Sg. Tebrau).-1956. Kuantan, Temerloh, Fraser’s Hill and Malacca (Oct. 19-22).-1957. Br. N. Borneo: Mt Kinabalu (June, coll. 416 nos).

1957. Malaya: Malacca (Apr. 20-21); N. Borneo: Sepilok, Sandakan (June-July); Malaya: Mersing (Dec. 4-5).-1958. Japan (May 13-16); Philippine Islands, Luzon (May 21-July 5), partly with Edaño; Malaya: Selangor, Perak and Cameron Highlands (Oct. 7-Nov. 5).-1959. W. Java: Bogor (Feb.-Mar.), visiting Udjong Kulon, P. Handeuleum Sisi, and P. Peutjang (4 days), G. Salak, Tjibodas, also collecting in Hort. Bog.; Malaya: Pahang, Johore, Kelantan, Perak.-1960. NW. Borneo (Aug.-Sept.): Sarawak (3 weeks from July 31), and Brunei (2 weeks).-1962. Malaya: Selangor (Nov. 12-20).

During the years 1949-Feb. 1967 numerous one-day trips in Johore, and Singapore.

 

collections:4

Herb. Sing. [SING]: from Borneo (1949) c. 120 nos, > 1000 from Malaya (numbered in the S.F. series)3, and 74 nos from Pakistan (coll. 1949). Collections made before 1948, mainly in Herb. Edinb. [E]. Dupl. Kinabalu to Herb. Leiden [L].

Herb. Sing. [SING]: including 416 nos from Borneo 1957, and 374 nos from Borneo 1960. His own series runs to 10922, the last number dated Feb. 25, 1967. In Singapore he originally numbered in the SFN series, but when he had sufficient duplicates, one was laid aside for his private herbarium and given a number in his own series too. In some of his papers certain specimens are cited by both numbers. The SFN series was discontinued in 1959. Many dupl. from Singapore in Herb. Edinb. [E].

 

literature:

(1) Cf. Ann. Rep. Bot. Gard. Dept. for 1949.

(2) Several from Singapore recorded in J. Sinclair: ‘Addition to the Flora of Singapore for some Plants thought to be Extinct’ (Gard. Bull. Sing. 14, 1953, p. 30-39).

(3) M. Jacobs: ‘A new Malaysian record in Lindernia (Ilysanthes) (Scrophulariaceae)’ (Gard. Bull. Sing. 15, 1956, p. 266).

(4) H.N. Burkill gives ‘A summary of all Sinclair’s collecting in Asia, Singapore excepted’, in Gard. Bull. Sing. 23, 1968, p. xx-xxiii.

 

biographical data:

Gard. Bull. Sing. 23, 1968, p. i-xxiii, pl. 1-3, incl. bibliogr., list of Sinclairan taxa, summary of collecting, portr., facs.; Fl. Mal. Bull. no 23, 1969, p. 1671-1672.